Rubanda, Uganda | Fortunate Kyarikunda, a law enforcement officer at Rubanda Town Council, has been sent to prison by the Chief Magistrate’s Court in Rukungiri District for failing to compensate Richard Tumwiine Sh14,099,100 over breach of a marriage promise.
Kyarikunda is a resident of Kiringa Parish in Kambuga Sub-county, Kanungu District. Tumwiine, a primary school teacher, is a resident of Kagoongo–Nyakagyezi Village in Nyarutojo Parish in the same sub-county.
The case stems from a ruling by the Kanungu Grade One Magistrate’s Court in January 2023 ordering Kyarikunda to compensate Tumwiine with sh9,439,100, which he had spent on her while she was studying, in anticipation of marriage. The court also awarded one million shillings as general damages for the inconvenience and psychological anguish suffered by Tumwiine. Kyarikunda lost the case after failing to file a defence or appear before court.
Instead of complying with the ruling, Kyarikunda in February 2023 filed a petition before the same court seeking to have the judgement set aside. She argued that she had not received a summons from the court and was therefore unable to file a defense, claiming that her phone had at the time been used by her sister, identified as Rhona Atukwasa. However, the petition was dismissed.
Unsatisfied with the decision, Kyarikunda later filed another petition before the Rukungiri Grade One Magistrate’s Court seeking to set aside the same ruling on similar grounds that she had not received the summons to file a defense. The petition was again dismissed. Despite the court rulings, Kyarikunda remained silent and did not pay the money.
On Tuesday, March 10, 2026, Kyarikunda was arrested from Rubanda Town Council while on duty and taken to Rukungiri. Later in the evening, she was presented before the Rukungiri Chief Magistrate’s Court on accusations of failing to comply with the court order to refund the money.
Rukungiri Grade One Magistrate Dinah Nekesa immediately ordered that Kyarikunda be sent to Rukungiri Government Prison (civil prison) to serve a sentence of six months for failing to comply with the court order. The amount owed had by then accumulated to sh14,099,100 .
The warrant committing the judgement debtor to Rukungiri government prison reads: “Whereas the judgement debtor has been brought before this honorable court on this 10th day of March 2026, it was ordered that the said judgement debtor shall pay the sum of UGX 14,099,00. And whereas judgement debtor has neither obeyed the judgement nor satisfied the court that he is entitled to be discharged from custody. You are Commanded and Required to take and receive the said Kyarikunda Fortunate into civil prison and keep her imprisoned there in for a period not exceeding 6 (six) months or until the judgement decree shall sooner be fully satisfied.”
Kyarikunda did not comment on the matter. Tumwiine’s lawyer, Erasmus Nabimanya of Nabimanya and Company Advocates, welcomed the court decision, saying Kyarikunda deliberately refused to comply with the court order.
Background
Tumwiine and Kyarikunda, both teachers at the time, began their relationship in 2015 while working at Kiringa Primary School in Kambuga Sub-county. They later entered into a marriage agreement in 2018.
During the relationship, Tumwiine financially supported Kyarikunda and sponsored her to pursue a diploma in legal practice at the Law Development Centre in Kampala, spending about sh9.4 million on her studies.
After completing the bar course, the couple agreed to organize an introduction ceremony scheduled for February 2022. However, Kyarikunda later withdrew from the marriage plans, saying she could not proceed because her partner was too old and that the relationship would cause her stress. Kyarikunda argued that she was still in her 30s while Tumwiine was in his 60s.
Following the cancellation of the marriage plans, Tumwiine dragged Kyarikunda to court for breach of a marriage promise and asked the court to compel her to refund the money he had spent on her education, arguing that it had been an investment in their future as husband and wife.
During an interview with our reporter in 2023, Tumwiine said he ran to the court to avoid taking the law into his own hands. Tumwiine revealed that he mobilized money from his monthly salary, agricultural produce sales, and commercial structures in the nearby Kanyantorogo sub-county, with an aim of fulfilling the marriage promise. He argued that by the time the two met, he was 33, while Kyarikunda was in her 20s.
Tumwiine said that he dropped the idea of taking law into his own hands after consulting the area LC 3 chairperson and crime intelligence officers at Kambuga police post, who advised him to calm down and seek court redress.
Tumwiine explained that though court victory cannot return happiness, his failed marriage plan should act as a lesson to members of the public that keeping faith and a promise are very important.
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